Electric wire connecting clamp



Oct. 10, 1950 1.. FRANK 2,525,123

ELECTRIC WIRE CONNECTING CLAMP Filed Aug. 5 1947 IN VEN TOR. L125 15Frank E (Fi y flTTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 10, 1 950 1 ELECTRIC WIRE CONNECTING CLAMP Louis Frank,Kern County, Calif.

Application August 5, 1947, Serial No. 766,173

1 My invention relates to an electric connector and has for itsprincipal object, to provide simple, practical, inexpensive andhighlyefiective means for'connecting insulated electric wires to variouselectric fittings, such as plugs, so-ckets,contact plates and the like.7 a 7 7 Further objects of my invention are to provide an electric wireconnection of the character re- -4 Claims. (01. 173-340) ferred to,which may be easily andquickly applied to and removed from theconnectedparts, which will resist to a substantial degree all strainswhich tend to pull the connected members apart, and which eliminates thetime and labor involved in stripping the insulation from the. ends ofthe Wire clamped to the connector.

A further object of my invention is to generally improve upon andsimplify the construction of the Wire or Rod Clamp and Connector coveredby U. S. Letters Patent #2,238,386, issued to me April 15, 1941.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and arragement of parts whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and claimed andillustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2---2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the connector parts in separatedpositions.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of a conventional electriclamp socket and showing same equipped with my improved connector.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the connector.

Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of the base member ofthe connector.

Fig. 8 is a detail section of the base member of the connector andshowing same formed with integral prongs.

Fig. 9 is a detail section showing the base member provided withseparately formed prongs.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing, which illustratespractical embodiments of my invention, I0 designates a metal plateprovided on opposite sides with upstanding walls I I,

and on portions of the ends of said plates, are

upstanding walls I2, the outer ends of which united with the adjacentends of the side walls I I.

Extending from the ends of plate ID to the sides of walls I2 are narrowmetal strips I3 which may be of any length and shape so as to combinewith the electric fixture or appliance with whichthe connector isassociated.

The threaded end of a screw I l engages "a threaded aperture I5 in thecenter of-plate Ill,

and mounted to rotate freely on the shank of" said screw beneath itshead is a washer-like member IE,

from which depends a plurality of prongs H; r

These prongs may be formed integral withand pressed from member I5 asseen in Fig. 8, or theymay be separately formed and riveted or welded tosaid member, as shown in Fig. 9.

Formed in the shank of the screw just below the head is an annulargroove I3 which receives the'edge of member 56 surrounding the aperturetherein and to mount said member on the screw shank, the metal aroundthe edge of the aperture in member, is struck or flanged outwardly, whensaid member is stamped out and after the shank of the screw is insertedthrough the enlarged opening, the outwardly flanged edge is by:pressure, forced into groove I8.

In'Fig. 4 is here shown a conventional pull chain switchand lamp socketS, equipped with a pair of my improved connectors, with the strips #3suitably connected to the contacts or current carrying members withinsaid socket. When this form of connector is used, the end portions ofinsulation sheathed wires W, are laid on plate I0, against walls II withthe bare ends of the cenductors bearing against walls I2.

Thus the wires are definitely positioned on the plate and screw It isnow screwed downwardly into said plate, thereby moving member I6 intoclamping engagement with said wire and forcing prongs I! through thesheath of insulation so as to make direct electrical contact with thecurrent carrying wires or cable.

By loosening screw I4, member 16 may be drawn upward soas to withdrawprongs I! from the conductors, thereby breaking the current flow fromone conductor to the other.

In the modified structure illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, a metal plateI9 is provided on one edge with an upstanding'wall 20 and on one endwith an upstanding flange 2|.

Projecting upwardly from the center of plate I9, is a plurality ofprongs 22, disposed in staggered arrangement and projecting from theedge of said plate on the opposite side from wall 20 is an ear 23,provided with a threaded aperture 24 and on its edge with a pair ofupstanding lugs 25.

The-threaded end of a screw 26 is seated in aperture 24 and mounted torotate on the upper portion of the shank of said screw, is a shortfinger 21 having a shoulder 28 on its outer end and when this finger isswung into position above plate [8, its end portion overlies prongs 22and shoulder bears against the near face of wall 20 (see Fig. 5)

When this form of connector is used, the sheathed conductor ispositioned against wall 20 on top of prongs 22 with the exposed end ofthe wire or cable bearing against wall 2|.

After finger 21 has been swung around into position above the endportion of the conductor, screw 26 is driven downward so as to causesaid finger to force the conductor downward onto prongs 22, which afterpiercing the sheath engage and make direct electrical contact with thecurrent-carrying wire or cable (see Fig. 6).

Lugs 25 act as stops to prevent finger 21 from.

being moved downward to such a degree as to make contact with and dullthe prongs 22, particularly while the conductor is not in service andthere is no conductor positioned on the prongs.

The side and end walls on plates l0 and I 9 provide a substantial degreeof protection for the ends of the conductors when same are clamped onthe plates, and at the same time, they accurately determine thepositions of said conductors and hold same firmly in such positions,during manipulation of the clamping screws.

In some instances, the clamping plate 21 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may bedispensed with and the end of the wire W clamped against prongs 22, bythe disc head 28 of a screw, the threaded shank 29 of which entersthreaded aperture 24 (see Fig. 7).

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an electric wire connectorwhich is simple in structure, inexpensive of manufacture and veryeffective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

Minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts ofmy improved electric wire connector may be made and substituted forthose herein shown and described without de- 4 parting from the spiritof the invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a wire connector, a conductor plate having reversely arrangedspaced upstanding L- shaped flanges on the sides and ends of oppositesides of its upper face, a screw seated in said plate, between saidflanges, a washer loosely mounted on the shank of said screw beneath itshead and held against detachment from said screw shank and prongsdepending from said washer.

2. A wire connector as set forth in claim 1, with integral platemounting members projecting from said plate between said upstandingflanges,

3. In a wire connector, a plate, reversely arranged upstanding L-shapedflanges on opposite sides of the upper face of said plate for prevent-.,ing the end portions of wires placed thereon from spreading apart andfrom moving lengthwise toward each other a portion of each L- shapedflange extending the entire length of the side of said plate, with theother portion of each flange extending part way along the end of saidplate and wire clamping screw seated in said plate between said flanges.

4. A wire connection as set forth in claim 3, with prongs carried bysaid wire clamping means.

LOUIS FRANK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

